Scuba Diving

Are you thinking about heading "down" for a breath, then just taking one or more extra breaths to stretch out your apnea?🙂
The aftermath—pulmonary embolism. If you've got someone with you and a hospital is nearby, maybe you pull through.
But honestly, there's a much higher chance that you're dead!!!
You'd be way better off studying diving medicine instead of just obsessing over CO2 and O2 tables.
Look, kid, don't do anything stupid; you really have no clue what you're getting yourself into when you dive.
Hands down, this is easily the most dangerous sport—or hobby—out there.

You know how they say divers, miners, and skydivers only get one shot at making a mistake? One slip up and you're gone, no second chances allowed.
I’ve been rocking my unknown dive watch for five years now. It tracks every single dive, and in just those last five years—not even counting the decade before that—I’ve logged over 4,500 dives. That means I’ve stared death right in the face more than 4,500 times.
If you could actually sit down and chat with God, asking Him right before you head down, "Hey, am I coming back up?" He'd probably just shrug and say, "Who knows?"
And here's the thing: as you get more experienced, the stakes just get higher because the margin for error gets slimmer. I've mentioned before what a real mistake looks like when you're underwater.
Honestly, I can barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I still vividly remember the advice an old pro gave me when I was buying my first full gear setup from a guy in San Francisco.
He told me, "The ocean claims two types of people: the rookies with tanks and the veterans on breath-hold."
You get what I'm saying, or do I need to break it down for you?

Nooo, that’s not what I’m asking at all. Look, I’ve been diving for a while now. I know how the rules work. I take this stuff seriously, I really do—I’m just asking about that specific part. It's bad for your lungs if you only take one breath before you dive,

It’s not just unhealthy, it’s straight-up lethal!
If you go any deeper, the risk just skyrockets because everything in your body expands during the ascent—since things compress on the way down, you know how it works—so that air in your lungs expands too. It’ll burst your alveoli; there’s just no way you can exhale all that air while you're underwater. Whatever stays trapped in there just keeps expanding.
I actually knew a guy who used to do this. He was way older and a much better fisherman than I'll ever be. Now, he can't even breathe through a regulator without issues. He can still go for a dip, but he can't even put his head under the surface anymore.

This is heavy. I’m still pretty new to this whole thing, but I already know there’s zero room for playing around. People have died over this, and I take that seriously. I’m not looking to start any trouble or go on an aggressive run right now. Honestly, if I can just manage to pull some worms out of the sand before I hit $10M, I’ll consider myself a winner.

Hey, quick question for the group. I just got gifted this killer suit, but there’s one catch—the sleeves are way too tight. Is it actually possible to take it to a tailor to have them let out or resized? It’s such a great suit, honestly, it’s already seen more wear and tear than my old gear from diving trips in Florida.

Check out what they're doing over at . I’m just not sure if it’s actually worth the money.

Ugh, I'm posting this from San Diego. While I wait for this to upload and send back... a buddy just handed me a suit he doesn't need anymore. So, I was thinking about hacking off a bit of the sleeve to patch up the ones on this thing that are way too wide. A little DIY hack job here and there, I guess. What can you do?

or maybe even just some kind of wristband I could wear

It just doesn't exist.

James Perez3 said:This might sound a bit silly, but I have to ask. Are there those small oxygen canisters available here? I think they only hold enough for a few breaths.

I believe those are called spare air canisters. If I recall correctly, you can even find them for sale at places like Dick's Sporting Goods.

Larry Foster982 said:I think those little canisters are called Spare Air, and I'm pretty sure you can even pick them up at a local Bass Pro Shops.

Honestly, just forget those things entirely... you're way better off sticking to a six-pack of Budweiser, they're definitely less dangerous.😁.

Peter Carter6 said:"Two groups of divers perish in the sea: the novices with their tanks, and the veterans on breath-hold."

👍
I remember an old, wise man I used to know saying this quite often. He was actually my first real introduction to diving—my very first instructor, I suppose.

Take my word for it, this is gospel truth. Every single diver who’s lost their life in the last decade was absolute top-tier—we're talking elite, major league level talent. I'm talking about the pros hitting depths over 100 feet and holding breath for well over three minutes. Those guys were true masters of the craft.

Hi there,
I have a quick question for the group. I think someone already brought this up on the first page...
Anyway, I just got back from Egypt and originally wanted to knock out a certification while I was there. In the end, I didn't quite have the time, so I decided I'd rather give it some real focus and more dedicated time later on. Everywhere I turned, people were pushing PADI courses where you can grab a certification in just four days. Honestly, I was a little skeptical about how fast that could be, but it turns out those courses really do wrap up in that four-day window.
Now that I'm back home in Chicago, I have the chance to sign up for a CMAS course instead, and I was wondering if a CMAS certificate is actually recognized in places like Egypt or Thailand, or if I’ll specifically need to go through PADI to dive there...

Thanks!

Hey everyone, quick question 🙂 I’m totally broke right now so I can't grab a new wetsuit, and I just had to return my neighbor's gear after our dive. A buddy offered me his spare one, but honestly, it's a little baggy around the waist.
So, here's the deal: do you think I can just tighten things up with a belt and call it a day?

Man, I’m broke too, so I can't exactly go out and buy a fresh wetsuit—mine is basically falling apart at this point. A buddy of mine actually made me a brand new Elias suit; he's about my height but carries a solid 250 lbs while I'm more like 165 😵. He absolutely trashed it, though—ripped it right up the leg and through the calf. So, first I patched it up, then used some contact cement, and eventually squeezed myself into it in the shower just to see if it even fit. And man, let me tell you, it is huge. I had to fix the sides—basically where the waist meets the hips—making these V-shaped strips about 3.5 inches wide and 10 inches long, then glued them down using the adhesive. The strip itself is maybe 2 inches wide but goes on for almost 2 feet because it wraps from the outside edge, curves, and hits the inside without any breaks. It’s a bit of a pain to do, but once it’s set, it holds like a charm. One more thing: grab some Neostik or Bison neoprene glue. It isn't cheap, but it’ll save you a fortune compared to that overpriced stuff they sell at the local dive shop. You're gonna need a ton of it, too. Slather it on both sides, let it get tacky, and then press it together.
So, the real question is... are you actually planning on tearing that suit apart?
I don't think a belt is going to help you much. Give it a shot, though—the water isn't cold enough yet to freeze your balls off. 😁

I want to tear this thing to shreds, but I honestly can't bring myself to do it while I'm wearing this suit 😁 maybe I'll just never wear one again. I tried using a belt earlier and let's just say things got... uncomfortably cold down there. I’m seriously considering just sprinting straight to Walmart, telling them to shove it, and letting my money go to hell instead.

Keith Torres48 said:Hey there,
Quick question. Someone already touched on this on the first page, but...
I just got back from Egypt and originally wanted to knock out a certification while I was there. Ran out of time, though. I figured I’d give it more focus later. Everywhere I turned, they were pushing these PADI courses where you get certified in just four days. Felt a little sketchy to me, but turns out, they actually do wrap everything up in four days.
Now that I'm back home in Chicago, I have the chance to sign up for a CMAS course. Does anyone know if a CMAS cert is actually recognized in places like Egypt or Thailand, or am I stuck sticking to PADI?

thanks

CMAS is a better course—you actually learn something. PADI feels like a tourist trap; you really have to push yourself to make it count. It's recognized globally, though when I was diving in Thailand, nobody had even heard of CMAS.

Based on my experience, go with PADI, just make sure you actually study the theory.

James Perez3 said:I’d love to just rip this thing off, but I can't really risk doing it while I'm wearing a suit 😁 because who knows if I'll ever bother putting one on again, honestly. I tried using a belt earlier and let me tell you, my Jack froze solid. Now I'm seriously thinking about just bolting it to New York City and letting all this money go to hell

Your Jack froze? What, you planning on wearing diapers when you hit 50?